Charlotte’s Web. ISBN 978-06-441093-9. E.B. White. Illustrated by Garth Williams. 1952. Newbery Honor. Ages 9-12. Caucasian.

Fern rescues the runt of her father’s litter of newborn piglets from a certain death. Wilbur soon outgrows his accommodations and is sold to Fern’s uncle. Wilbur is lonely at the Zuckerman’s farm but is soon befriended by Charlotte, a spider who lives in the barn’s doorway. Charlotte is a special spider and, as Wilbur discovers, a very special friend who will do whatever she can to spare Wilbur the pain of a pig’s certain fate on a farm, regardless of her own.

Many curriculum areas could be explored using Charlotte’s Web as a base. Younger children could learn about farms and farm animals, especially pigs, of course! Students could learn about spiders, spider webs, and other types of arachnids. After learning about spiders and webs, older students could build webs, as individuals or in groups, using discarded picture frames and string, for example. Many language and writing activities could be explored using Charlotte’s Web, from performing character studies of Fern, Wilbur, or Charlotte to creating and solving word puzzles using Charlotte vocabulary, such as salutations, friendship, gratified, unremitting, enchanted, and spinnerets. Students could write short stories about the lives of the other animals on the Zuckerman farm or about Wilbur, Joy, Aranea, or Nellie’s adventures after the book ends. Finally, an exploration of Charlotte’s Web is the perfect time to discuss friendship. Friendship, as a theme, can then be expanded using various techniques and activities.